POLICE have apologised for missing an opportunity to catch Night Stalker rapist Delroy Grant more than 10 years ago.

Former minicab driver Grant was responsible for some of the most "awful and disturbing crimes" ever investigated at Scotland Yard, senior detectives said.

A jury at Woolwich Crown Court convicted him of claiming at least 18 victims between 1992 and 2009 - but it is feared the total may be more than 500.

The conviction brings to a close a massive manhunt that cost tens of millions of pounds and involved hundreds of officers.

Police missed a key chance to stop Grant in 1999 because of a paperwork blunder, it can now be revealed.

Officers mistakenly ruled him out of their inquiry when the DNA of another suspect with the same name was confused with his.

Commander Simon Foy, head of the Met Police's homicide and serious crime command, said: "In 1999 there was an opportunity to have identified and apprehended Grant but that opportunity was unfortunately missed.

"When this came to light, after his arrest, we voluntarily referred the matter to the IPCC. The IPCC has completed its report and has recommended that the MPS gives words of advice to officers involved and this has now been done.

"It is appropriate for the MPS to apologise now for this missed opportunity that led to his continued offending for so long afterwards.

"We are deeply sorry for the harm suffered by all those other victims and for our failure to bring Grant to justice earlier.

"Again I would like to pay tribute to the courage of Delroy Grant's victims, some of whom I have met this morning amd some of whom sadly are not alive today to see him convicted, and to hope that they and their families will feel a sense of relief that he has been caught and brought to justice."

Cmdr Foy added: "Part of Grant's method was to prey upon the elderly and take advantage of their frailty and the fact that they would often be too terrified to contact police or indeed even talk about what had happened to them.

"His victims have worked with us, shared what must have been distressing information with us, and helped us to build up a picture of Grant over many years.

"Grant is a perverted callous and violent individual - he is a sexual predator, he is a rapist, he is a night time burglar who preyed on the most vulnerable section of our society.

"He has said nothing to us about his offending and has not as far as we know shown any sign of remorse for what he has done."